Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-08-02

time, do all the books he ought
TO have read and admired long
ago, and do them to the accompani-
ment OF such starry vaults and glowing
sunsets as begrar description. Fernando
Noronha doomed into sight one bright
forenoon, when the flying fish were
fiuttering in shoals oil the face OF the
sea. Some Of them were unfortunate
enough to tiutter on board, and were
cooked fresh for their pains, Their fresh
ness was their only merit. however; a
flying fish tastes like an insipid mackerel,
as does a bonito also; and. N the whole,
they are much better sporting in their
native element than smoking on a tea
table. Fernando Noronha has the APP
pearance of a vast cathedral; but, rocky
as il is, there is one nook sacred Ia palm
trees and rich tropical vegetation. Here
it is that a small Portuguese settlement
of convicts till the soil, far from the
m%addening crowd, sup%erintendcd 10y one
army officer and a handful of soldiers. l
much wished for half a days calm thai
We might get ashore, but the wind swept
us past the island, and we made no halt
till the pillared height overlooking Per-
nambuco revealed a first glimpse OF South
America. Very attractive coastlng 1t was
at that point. the sea being alive with
crawling nutriggers sailed 10y nearly naked
negroes of a most magnificent physique.
The defines with which they handled
their sails was amazing. for round about
there were plenty Of sharks, one brute in
particular, who gave me a nightmare
for weeks running. He took a fancy to
the Al for a few days. and followed
close under the stern, making a visible
impression aboard, there being much
speculation as Ia which Of us he was to
get. He nearly got the carpenter, for on
going bout ship that officer was
caught by the leg in arope and swung to
the maintop, from which he fell head
foremost among some loose sails. Though
picked W as dead. he soon came to him
self. and our shark sheered off the same
evening. foreseeing that a white man was
not going TO come his way. The voyage
skirting the coast Of South America, hut
well out Of sight Of land, is not eventful.
We get into the regions Of new stars, we
go from hot to warm, from warm 10
cold: new sea birds come into view, the
Mother Careys being joined by a flock Of
cape pigeons and an occasional albatross.
But of the River Plate we had one
nights experience Of the artillery OF
Heaven. Dirt the mariners call such
weather; and for five mortal hours they
had 10 fight with wind. rain. light
ming: wishing they were ''oot
o this dirt, as tine captain expressed it.
| shall not attempt 10 describe that terri.
bic midnight, when the whole forces Of
chaos seemed let loose, and peals Of
thunder. as Of the noise Of many battle
fields, sounded over the sea, and red
lightning Glove the air in menacing fig
ures Of seven. making blacker the black
pail which hung over the ship. Yet out
on the crosstrees there were CHEEKY lads
voices all the time, and everybody seemed
to enjoy the unwonted commotion. But
the older men Were pleased to hear that
the customary rum cask for use at the
Horn was to be tapped that night, and
they relished their key after the hurry
burly was over and the ship out Of danger.
OF Patagonia we become aware Of the
sort Of weather which awaits us at Cape
Horn. Ii is the month of November, and
the spring Of the year in these ATTITUDES.
BY the time we make the Straits Of Le-
marie, separating Staten Island from
TERRA del Fuego, there are the first indi-
cations Of Horn rollers. We are a couple
of days in mastering the difficulties Of
the straits, and have a fine opportunity
of studying the outlines Of Staten and
Fuego. Terra del Fuego, on the right hand,
pierced by black valleys, running into
frozen mountains: Staten, on the left
hand, with icy crags hanging sheer into
the sea, and cutting the air in white
spires: nc sign Of habitation or human
life, nothing alive but wide winged birds,
strangely tame, coming to us from the
further seas.
Sailing beneath these Staten crags and
looking toward the island Of savages,
n realizes this cold vision Of immortal
ity. A man can think himself out Of
life and into eternity, and suppose him.
self 10 he there. There is a terrible
silence; the shadows Of the valleys seem
never to have been lightened by the
sum; the mountains never scaled by
human foot, Only birds can have
gone thither, and only birds come from
them, with hoarse voices and reckoning
heads. The Al takes her time. while
we eagerly look out for Fuegians. and
hope for a speedy exit into Antartic waters.
A frightful region. truly, and we are not
sorry to leave it behind, and go south to
the verge Of the icebergs.
Thus we do not see Cape Horn at all,
being many degrees away from it; and
for a week and a half the ship rum with
bare poles TO the west, the sailors end
being under water most Of the time. We
live at right angles TO everything, with
an extinguished galley ere and scant
food, forums Of rum and biscuits being
the main support Of life. The wind is
with US, however, and soon we are climb
ing up the Pacific, and hope one night
to hail the North Star.-W. Sine in
Home Chimes.